Exhibition

[FINISHED] Mini-Monsters

Du 22 octobre 2022 au 23 avril 2023
The exhibition is now over.

Lice, fleas, flies...who are these itchy little creatures that live among us every day? This child-sized exhibition invites you to discover the fascinating world of this tiny fauna!

© MNHN - T. Maillet

The exhibition

They are part of our environment or have taken up residence on our bodies: lice, flies, ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, bedbugs and mites are highly familiar species, yet also tend to be the ones we’d most like to keep at a distance – unless we can finally approach them without fear! 

In a fun and friendly way, the Mini-Monsters exhibition highlights these seven unloved species and presents them in a new light, revealing the surprising abilities that make them real-life superheroes. 

These insects and other small arthropods find warmth and food in our bodies, nesting under the skin, in body hair or in head hair... Sometimes called "parasites", they are often associated with bad memories of bites or itching. The exhibition invites us to take another look at these creatures that invade our privacy and realize they have amazing powers. 

Thanks to the impressive visual scale effects and immersive scenography, you will be able to admire these elusive species, too fleeting or microscopic to be observed with the naked eye, from up close

Discover their lifestyles, behaviours and incredible abilities. For example, did you know that lice can hold their breath for hours while living on our heads, or that a tick can fast for 10 years? 

Various devices take you beyond appearances to learn more about these species and understand their role in the balance of ecosystems. 

You can also go away with some preventive advice on how to avoid stings or relieve them with natural remedies! 

Un mur de l'exposition « Mini-Monstres » dédié aux superminus.

Exposition « Mini-Monstres »

© MNHN - J.-C. Domenech
De jeunes visiteurs traversent un tunnel dans l'exposition « Mini-Monstres ».

Exposition « Mini-Monstres »

© MNHN - J.-C. Domenech
Projection d'un film dans l'exposition « Mini-Monstres ».

Exposition « Mini-Monstres »

© MNHN - J.-C. Domenech
Des visiteurs utilisent différents types de microscopes dans l'exposition « Mini-Monstres ».

Exposition « Mini-Monstres »

© MNHN - J.-C. Domenech
Un dessin d'acariens et des microscopes dans l'exposition « Mini-Monstres ».

Exposition « Mini-Monstres »

© MNHN - J.-C. Domenech
Logo - Musée des Confluences
An exhibition designed by the Musée des Confluences

Located in Lyon at the point where the Rhône and Saône rivers meet, the Musée des Confluences opens up the world's horizons. Heir to the Lyon Natural History Museum and other collections from now-defunct Lyon museums, the Musée des Confluences offers an account of the origins, the lifetime and the history of humanity through a dialogue between the science.

Podcast

Bestioles - l'araignée

Bestioles - l'araignée

© MNHN - Radio France

View our special selection of 50 episodes of the podcast for young people, « Bestioles » (Critters), co-produced with France Inter: 

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